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During the last nine months while recovering from my hip injury, I have had to find and use MANY modifications for a lot of exercises and even my yoga poses. The most common modification I use is for pigeon pose. Throughout my own journey and teaching low intensity level classes, usually catering to seniors and limited functioning (disabled/injured) students, modifications are a must. Here are my three modifications for the oh, so necessary pigeon pose.

Modification 1: On the mat

This modification is closest to pigeon pose. Either starting on your hands and knees or coming from downward facing dog, bring forward one knee as far up as possible, stopping between your hands. Keep your foot in line with your knee. Stretch your back leg as far as it can go, then sink down towards your front foot. Hold and BREATHE!

Modification 2: Eye of the Needle (or Thread the Needle)

Eye of the needle is my favorite modification of Pigeon. Lay on your back, and bend your knees. Bring one ankle to the opposite knee, and allow your hip to fall open. Now take your hands, place one on each side of your supporting leg (if you placed your left ankle on your right knee, you will place your hands on each side of your right thigh), now gently begin to pull your legs toward your chest. When you find your spot where the stretch begins to feel a bit on the deep side, hold and flex your feet. Again, BREATHING is KEY!

Modification 3: Seated Pigeon Pose (Chair Modification)

In a chair, scoot your bottom to the edge of the seat. Just like eye of the needle, bring one ankle to the opposite knee, and allow your hip to fall open naturally. Place a hand on the foot of the leg you lifted and the other on the knee. Inhale and straighten the spine, then as you exhale, tilt forward from the hips with a straight back towards your legs. Hold and again, BREATHE!

Use these modifications at any time, especially if your hips feel a bit tighter than normal. Here’s to HAPPY HIPS!

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If you’ve never known two things about me, you’re going to find them out now.

1. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mexican food. Did I mention I love Mexican food? [insert non-existent, but desperately needed taco emoji here]
2. As a mom (and a self-taught, maybe aspiring, home cook), I always try to make healthier versions of meals my family loves.

So, whenever an opportunity comes to combine the above two points, I jump at it!

This is where the Mexi-cauli Bowl comes in. Since my hip injury and restrictive physical limits, I’ve been leaning towards gluten-free meals to help me keep my nutrition in check as well work on some digestive and allergen issues that are trying to creep up with the little one.

Snip off florets from cauliflower head. Place in a food processor, and pulse gently until the cauliflower resembles rice.

Warm a skillet on low heat. Place 1-2 tbsp. of oil in skillet to coat the bottom. Transfer the cauliflower from the food processor into the skillet, and turn the heat to medium. Add 2-3 tbsp. of water, and let the cauliflower simmer while stirring frequently. Once the water is absorbed, add the can of tomato sauce, then the heat back to low, and simmer. You can cover if you like, but stir occasionally. (Now you can either wait on the “rice” to cook, or grab another skillet to cook the remainder of the meal while the cauliflower cooks. I abhor doing dishes, so I stick to the one-skillet method.)

Once the tomato sauce is thickened and coating the cauliflower, transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Re-coat the skillet with another 1-2 tbsp. of oil. Add in diced onions and saute until translucent. Add ground turkey and crumble while mixing in the onions.

Season with 2-3 tbsp of taco seasoning or if using separate seasonings use the following approximate measurements:

Garlic powder, 2 tsp

Cumin, 1 tbsp

Chili powder, 1-2 tsp (or to taste)

Salt, a pinch or two to taste

Add 2 tbsp of water or more to soak up seasonings a bit and allow turkey mixture to simmer in the seasonings. While it starts to simmer, take your ear of sweet corn and cut off the kernels. Toss into the seasoned turkey mixture. Continue to simmer until thickened while stirring occasionally.

When the turkey mixture has thickened, add in the “rice”. Stir together until fully mixed.

Place a handful of spinach leaves in the bottom of a bowl. (If you are on the 21 Day or Portion Fix plans, use one full green container of spinach.) Spoon a 1/2 cup of the turkey and rice mixture onto the spinach (1/2 a green container). Top with tomatoes and avocado. ENJOY!

Optional topping ideas:

Shredded cheese

Salsa

Green onions

Fresh jalapenos

GF tortilla strips

I really hope you enjoy this. My boys LOVED this meal and there were NO leftovers for once. They didn’t even have a clue about the cauliflower “rice” either. I should get this in the meal plan again soon. I’m now hungry for it again! This is also a great prep ahead, eat later meal as well!

If you enjoyed this recipe, take a second and sign up for email updates on all my Monday Meal posts as well as any other adventure I may take on.

I heart yoga. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you’ll see more yoga posts on my social media feeds than any other type of exercise posts. Lately, I’ve been combining my love of popular music with my love of yoga. Below is my latest favorite song by Estelle in a Warrior Flow. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it!

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First and foremost, let me put this initial disclaimer here. I’ve never been obese or fat the way society sees fat and obese, but a person can be fat for their body, their frame. Hence, my title of “Almost” Fat Girl. Secondly, many of the fears expressed in this post may seem irrational. I get that. Fears are almost always irrational. Yet, I feel compelled to share because someone could be helped by my words. That said…read on.

Last week, I visited my doctor to look into the increasing hip pain I had been having the last couple of months. I’ve dealt with hip issues over the course of the last couple of years, but it was becoming beyond manageable. After a MRI, my diagnosis was a contusion in the gluteal muscles (basically a literal pain in the ass…a deep one). She ordered steroids and a full week off all physical activity, especially exercise. Even though I remained composed and told her okay, I was mentally freaking out on two levels.

First off, exercise is my career. I teach ten various fitness/yoga classes per week. Plus standing and demonstrating for my personal clients. What am I going to do?!?! After a bit of calming down, I worked everything out. My students and clients are fine, and I’m following doctor orders. Yet, the bigger, more internal freak out continued.

How am I not going to exercise for an entire week?!?! Even on vacations, I make time to exercise. For the past six years, exercise has become everything to me: my stress reliever, my therapy, my fun … you name it, exercise filtered into every part of my life. Being active makes me happy; it helps me be happy in every part of my life. Then, I thought of the food. Granted, my ways of eating have drastically changed for the better over the last nine years, but exercise also helps me keep off the indulgences (wine and chocolate, anyone?) and lets me have gigantic, teenage portions (I really love food!).

Mentally, I started to see myself become that girl again. The one from 2008 where I was 50 pounds heavier and thought I still looked “hot”. The one who pretended to be okay with wearing a size 12 jeans, even though those were the biggest she had ever worn. The girl who put everyone else before her and rarely took the time to take care of herself. The one in the midst of depression and on the verge of suicide. That girl does not exist any longer, but I saw her crystal clear, and I feared her reappearance.

The girl I feared. Me in 2008

Now, can all this happen in one week? No, and that is why fears are irrational. Yet, there comes a time everyone has to face their fears, especially the ones about themselves. In the back of my mind, despite all my knowledge, my habit and lifestyle changes, and rationality, I had a fear of becoming that almost fat girl again. I did not realize it until this week. That fear was something I had to face and to let go of because in a sense, the fear had control over me without me even acknowledging it. That fear way back in the dark recesses of my mind kept me trapped in a thought I could never rest. The thought that I could not let go and enjoy down time. Even the thought and incapability to see myself the way I want to see myself: healthy, happy, fit, vibrant. That single fear kept my heart a bit closed and my soul’s wings still clipped.

Open your heart, and let your soul fly.

So, I will enjoy the rest of this week, resting, letting go, smiling. I know I am not that almost fat girl any longer. I know she will not return. I will plan my healthy meals and savor them, eating mindfully. I will look forward to reconnecting with my students and clients and my time on the yoga mat. I will be bold in recognizing that I had that fear and letting it go.

Be bold in facing your fears…even the ones you may not even realize you had.

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Today, I’d like to share 5 little tips about mindful eating. Now, you may be asking “What is mindful eating?” or “How does mindful eating compare to all the other ways of eating?” (Paleo, clean, etc.).

Mindful eating is all about being aware of what you eat, how you eat, and how all of it effects your mind and body. Then, once you become mindful about your eating, your awareness leads you to make better nutritional choices for your body. Below is a visual tool I made to help you learn these simple tips.

If you like this tool, head over to my Pinterest for boards full of tools to use to help you on your journey.